3 Weeks in Argentina
 

Fellow FlyerTalkers,

I'm knee deep in FlyerTalk threads and tour books, but I wanted to get some more advice from the masters. My trip is similar to HSaxa, but I'm going a week later for a week more. My wife and I have a tickets with us landing in EZE on Sept 9th and leaving SCL on Sept 30th. So far we have the following itn in mind:

Uruguay / Outside of BA (4 days)
BA (4 / 5 days) - We land on Tuesday, but are waiting for Dante's city tour (on Sat) to get the lay of the land.
Cordoba (3 days)
Bariloche (4/5 days)
Mendoza (2 days)
Santiago (3 days)

I'm not set on the order of the trip or the length of time spent in each location. Does the group have any suggestions? Is it too much? What's the best way to get between the cities (I don't mind bus trips, but if flights are not too much more, I'll spring for them).

thanks,
scott

Intercity buses in Argentina are very comfortable especially if you book in Cama-Ejec or Cama Suite. And the prices are very good but the distances are pretty great. Have you included the travel times via bus in your schedule? It will take almost a full day to travel to and from Bariloche, about 17 hours to Mendoza, and 9 hours to Cordoba.

Flying is obviously much quicker but unless you are arriving on AA or LAN so you could qualify to purchase a Visit South America Air Pass then you will find the price of tixs very expensive. Here is a link for the pass
http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-trave...-south-america

As for your time table not certain that you really need 4 to 5 days in Bariloche at that time of year. The ski season is over and the weather will be a bit nippy and possibly wet. If you enjoy wine you might add another day to Mendoza to sample more vineyards :).

Sam

Sam.... are you sure there is no late snow in Bariloche this season.... I may be wrong, but 1 week ago there was still of powder up top.

Agreed that buses are a feasible option if you have time to spend on land travel and want to save a few $$$... alas, please beware that bus travel is not glamorous in Argentina, if you book the deluxe services the buses will be OK but the WCs on board are sometimes a nightmare (folks traveling with you may not have the same cleanliness standards as you, etc.) and also bus stations are not located in the best areas is some cities. Not to say its dangerous to use the bus in Argentina, but make sure you properly manage your expectations.

One final note.... while in Bariloche, DO NOT miss out on booking and having dinner at Butterfly Restaurant. Its the best place for a meal in Bariloche and one of the top restaurants in Argentina at the moment.

One more thing... why three days in Santiago, whats your game plan there? If you are a wine person, you will need more days in Mendoza (as correctly pointed out by Sam) to properly visit wine country, as distances between producers can be very important.

Just doing the numbers of his visit seemed to indicate he would be in Bariloche around the 3 week of September. I would be surprised if the runs are still operating then. But I have been wrong once or twice :)

Sam

Thanks Sam and Gaucho.

1. We are flying Skyteam, so the LAN pass isn't an option.
2. Re: Bariloche - My wife and I love nature (more than skiing) and like the possibility of hiking / being stuck in a cabin for a few days.
3. Butterfly is noted, as are your other food recommendations. We are foodies and are looking forward to lots of good meals.
4. We do love wine, but are more interested in drinking it, then touring vineyards (this is based on our experience in Bordeaux, Sonoma and Napa), but given some good reasons we could change our minds.
5. We've heard some good things about Santiago.. are you saying 3 days is way too much?
6. Travel times have not been incorporated as I'm not sure on the method.

thanks,
scott

Sorry just assumed touring vineyards was synonymous with DRINKING wine...
it is for me anyway :D And Francis Mallman's 1884 is a fantastic place to dine in Mendoza.

I have been to Santiago but never found it terribly interesting and the air pollution can be fierce. Just MHO.

Sam

Uruguay is a good place to spend a few days.

Montevideo is enjoyable for just wandering around a bit and having some good food. If you want an international luxury resort type setting, then Punta del Este would be a good choice(with even a Conrad Hotel available).

From Buenos Aires you can do a nice day trip by fast ferry over to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It's a very attractive town with lots of old colonial style buildings and cobbled streets(world heritage city). Leave BA early in the day and have time for wandering around town and a nice lunch and you can be back in BA in time for dinner.

Not to bash the capital city of the country on the wrong side of the Andes (**)... but IMHO, there is not much to do in Santiago that would require 2/3 days.

(**) just kidding :p